Police Scotland is developing an initiative to recruit more special constables in the islands.
The scheme aims to make it easier for people from remote and rural areas to apply and train to the force.
Now the Western Isles area commander will be responsible for the recruitment with
the assistance of the Highland and Islands special constables co-
Training would be delivered locally both face-
This moves away from a centralised recruitment policy which required training in the central belt.
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr, of local policing, said: “Volunteering has an extremely positive impact on people and we know the benefits this can bring between local officers and local communities.
“We want to make people feel like they can volunteer with Police Scotland – regardless of where they live.
“Very often travelling to the Scottish Police College in Fife for training is simply not practical or appealing for an applicant in areas such as Stornoway.
“We recognise that Highland and Islands Division need to have a different approach to the recruitment and retention processes in place to attract special constables.”
He added: “This initiative is one of many we are implementing across Police Scotland to support local issues and the needs of different communities.”
Initiative to recruit more special constables for Western Isles
15 November 2018
